Material or article handling – Vertically swinging load support – Shovel or fork type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-17
2001-05-15
Underwood, Donald W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Vertically swinging load support
Shovel or fork type
C172S274000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231295
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a detachable front-loader with a loader assembly consisting of two arms joined by one or more transverse members, the arms being assigned a supporting device having a supporting foot attached to the terminal region at the tool-end of the arm, and the device being pivotable between a non-operational position and an operational position, whereby the device is retained on the assembly when in the non-operational position and in the operational position the position relative to the arms is determined by means of a supporting strut acting between the arms and supporting foot.
A known device for supporting a detachable front-loader consists of a supporting foot which is retained against the loader arm by means of a locking bolt when the foot is pivoted up into a non-operation position. In order to detach the front loader, the supporting foot is pivoted downwards after removal of the locking bolt and locked in one of several operational positions. The operational positions are predetermined by holes in the supporting foot, in which the above-mentioned locking bolt can be inserted. The actual detaching procedure is effected with the aid of the hydraulic system of the vehicle by tipping the loading tool, eg a shovel, of the front loader which has been positioned beforehand on the ground.
The disadvantage of this arrangement is that, if the hydraulic system fails, the front-loader cannot be dismounted from the vehicle. In addition, because the holes are spaced at a relatively large distance apart from one another, it is not possible to adjust the supporting feet on uneven terrain and the supporting struts in particular cannot be adjusted under load. Consequently, the supporting feet cannot be braced firmly on the ground immediately before the front loader is dismounted. This means that every time the front loader is dismounted from the vehicle, the situation is critical in that any lateral movements or rocking of the front-loader might cause damage to the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the invention is to provide a detachable front loader which can be mounted and dismounted in a straightforward manner, by manipulation of the supporting device and without risk of damaging the vehicle.
Accordingly there is provided a detachable front-loader with a loader assembly, consisting of two arms joined by one or more transverse members, each of the arms being provided with a supporting device having a supporting foot attached to the terminal region at the tool-end of the respective arm, the foot being pivotable between a non-operational position and an operational position, wherein each foot is retained on a respective arm in the non-operational position and in the operational position, the position of each foot relative to the respective arm is determined by a respective supporting strut acting between the arm and the supporting foot, characterised in that the struts remain pivotally joined between the linking arm and the supporting foot and the effective length of the supporting struts can be adjusted under load.
The objective is achieved owing to the fact that the effective length of the supporting strut under load can be continuously adjusted, and the supporting struts remain pivotally joined to the linking arm and the supporting foot at the end face. This means that once they have been pivoted into the operational position, the two supporting feet can be supported on the ground with the same force by individually adjusting the supporting struts. When the front-loader is then uncoupled from the vehicle, which can be done either with the aid of the hydraulic system of the vehicle or by manually adjusting the length of the supporting struts, the front-loader will not be susceptible to uncontrolled movements which might cause damage to the vehicle.
For practical purposes, one embodiment of the invention has the following features:
a supporting strut consisting of two tubes telescopically inserted one inside the other, each provided with threading at its free end, one being a right-hand-thread and the other a left-hand-thread,
the threads co-operate with matching threads of threaded bolts which are coupled with the linking arm and the supporting foot, and
the tubes can be made to rest in a predetermined position so that they do not move relative to one another by means of a locking bolts, which is inserted through transverse bores of the tubes when they are flush with one another.
In the case of one particularly practical embodiment of the invention, which produces very little in the way of compressive forces in the supporting strut and allows the length of the supporting strut to be manually adjusted, when the front-loader is parked, one end of the supporting strut is placed more or less at the centre of the supporting foot whilst the other end is attached to the loader arm in such a way that, if viewed from the side, it is more or less aligned with the centre of gravity of the loader arm.
Other advantageous features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims. A hydraulic cylinder can be provided as a supporting strut, which will enable the front-loader to be mounted and dismantled from the driver's cab.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4257730 (1981-03-01), Kawakita
patent: 4275984 (1981-06-01), Lenertz
patent: 4522554 (1985-06-01), Williams et al.
patent: 5129780 (1992-07-01), Stumpe
patent: 0479708 (1992-04-01), None
Girstenbrei Erich
Reiterer Peter
Weident Horst-Martin
AGCO GmbH & Co
MacMillan Sobanski & Todd LLC
Underwood Donald W.
LandOfFree
Detachable front-loader does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Detachable front-loader, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Detachable front-loader will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2491965